There is great pposition to the construction of Buc-ee’s, in Alamance County, the proposed largest gas station in the world.
The proposed 32.5-acre station with 120 pumps could draw 25,000+ visitors a day, leading to degradation of environmental and quality of life in Mebane, NC. Over 1,000 locals have signed a petition against a Buc-ee’s proposal and a similar proposal was defeated in Orange County a few years ago.
Buc-ee’s keeps promising “good jobs” for Mebane the same way they did for Orange County. Mebane deserves better.
Sign the petition against Buc-ee’s HERE!
The Mebane City Council will vote whether to approve or block the project at their next meeting on Monday, Jan 8, and 7 Directions of Service is urgently in need of connecting with experts in the following fields to stand up and make public comments at the meeting:
- Environmental justice
- Stormwater runoff
- Water quality degradation
- Traffic engineer
- Native American trading path, historical
- Downstream flooding
- Emergency response/planning
- City management
ANYONE can speak, not just “certified experts”. The decision for the judicial hearing will only look at these questions:
The Council will be evaluating the special use permit during a quasi judicial proceeding during the Jan 8 meeting (in addition to regular opportunity for public comment), where they will vote based on substantiated evidence provided through comments regarding these points:
- Will not materially endanger the public health or safety
- Will not substantially injure the value of adjoining or abutting property
- Will be in harmony with the area in which it is located
- Will be in conformity with the land development plan or other plans officially adopted by the City Council
- In order to give a comment during the quasi judicial section, one must be sworn in
A word from your Haw Riverkeeper: This project unnecessarily endangers the health of our communities in Mebane and in the Haw River watershed community. Typical gas stations with 8 pump locations have 2-3 underground storage tanks (USTs), holding up to 30,000 gallons of gasoline. This station will have 60 pump locations. These underground storage tanks frequently leak. In 2020 alone, there were 498 UST incidents in NC, costing the state over 28 million dollars.
These leaks are incredibly dangerous for communities, leaking gasoline containing Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene. These compounds increase asthma symptoms, impact pulmonary function, reduce red blood cells and harm immune systems. Benzene is known to cause cancers, notably Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
These extremely hazardous chemicals soak into the soils underneath the station and infiltrate nearby properties. The compounds can migrate upwards of 500 feet and contaminate sources of drinking water and harm nearby ecosystems. For reference, just 10 gallons of petroleum has the potential to contaminate up to 12 million gallons of water.
Additionally, Volatile Organic Compounds in petroleum-contaminated soil can become airborne, and infiltrate the insides of nearby buildings, which exposes workers and residents to chronically harmful levels of BTEX.
This specific location is incredibly concerning. It is directly adjacent to a new high school for Alamance County, Alamance Community Elementary School, and across from another large distribution center. This location is already overburdened with heavy air pollution from semi-truck emissions. Other air emissions include Stericycle, a medical waste incinerator, very close by.
We will be speaking at the Mebane City Council meeting on Monday night. The council has previously voted against the planned project 6-3. The council will revote on the package as it was initially proposed with no changes.
** This year, NC DEQ has committed to surveying potential sources of groundwater contamination by PFAS. These sites include landfills, superfund sites, hazardous waste sites, and underground storage tank incidents and remediation sites. Of the prioritize sites, 100% of all underground storage tank incidents and remediation sites have made the top of the list. This suggests that these sites are the highest levels of concern for PFAS contamination of groundwater.
Stop Buc-ee’s! Check out 7 Directions of Service’s Social Media sites for more eye-opening information:
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